AXR3 and SHY2 interact to regulate root hair development

Dynamic integration of auxin transport and signalling

Recent years have seen rapid progress in our understanding of the mechanism of action of the plant hormone auxin. A major emerging theme is the central importance of the interplay between auxin signalling and the active transport of auxin through the plant to create dynamic patterns of auxin accumulation. Even in tissues where auxin distribution patterns appear stable, they are the product of standing waves, with auxin flowing through the tissue, maintaining local pockets of high and low concentration. The auxin distribution patterns result in changes in gene expression to trigger diverse, context-dependent growth and differentiation responses. Multi-level feedback loops between the signal transduction network and the auxin transport network provide self-stabilising patterns that remain sensitive to the external environment and to the developmental progression of the plant. The full biological implications of the behaviour of this system are only just beginning to be understood through a combination of experimental manipulation and mathematical modelling.

Brassinosteroid signals control expression of the AXR3/IAA17 gene in the cross-talk point with auxin in root development

Transgenic plants overexpressing AXR3/IAA17 were impaired in root growth. Specifically, they exhibited severe defects in lateral root and root hair development similar to the root phenotypes of epi-brassinolide (epiBL)-treated wild-type plants. Here, we investigated the involvement of AXR3/IAA17 gene expression in brassinosteroid (BR)-regulated root development. Exogenous epiBL application significantly induced expression of the AXR3/IAA17 gene as well as several Aux/IAA genes, such as AXR2/IAA7, SLR/IAA14, and IAA28. We analyzed the transcription levels of several Aux/IAA genes related to root development in the BR signaling mutant bri1 and the BR biosynthesis mutant det2. AXR3/IAA17 gene expression was significantly decreased in bri1 plants. In det2 plants, expression of AXR3/IAA17 slightly decreased. This in turn suggests that epiBL induced these Aux/IAA genes, and that these induced gene products might function as factors in root development. Furthermore, AXR3/IAA17 might be involved in the BR signaling pathway, suggesting an intersection node of BR-auxin signaling in root development.

Root gravitropism requires lateral root cap and epidermal cells for transport and response to a mobile auxin signal

Re-orientation of Arabidopsis seedlings induces a rapid, asymmetric release of the growth regulator auxin from gravity-sensing columella cells at the root apex. The resulting lateral auxin gradient is hypothesized to drive differential cell expansion in elongation-zone tissues. We mapped those root tissues that function to transport or respond to auxin during a gravitropic response. Targeted expression of the auxin influx facilitator AUX1 demonstrated that root gravitropism requires auxin to be transported via the lateral root cap to all elongating epidermal cells. A three-dimensional model of the root elongation zone predicted that AUX1 causes the majority of auxin to accumulate in the epidermis. Selectively disrupting the auxin responsiveness of expanding epidermal cells by expressing a mutant form of the AUX/IAA17 protein, axr3-1, abolished root gravitropism. We conclude that gravitropic curvature in Arabidopsis roots is primarily driven by the differential expansion of epidermal cells in response to an influx-carrier-dependent auxin gradient.

Global studies of cell type-specific gene expression in plants

Technological advances in expression profiling and in the ability to collect minute quantities of tissues have come together to allow a growing number of global transcriptional studies at the cell level in plants. Microarray technology, with a choice of cDNA or oligo-based slides, is now well established, with commercial full-genome platforms for rice and Arabidopsis and extensive expressed sequence tag (EST)-based designs for many other species. Microdissection and cell sorting are two established methodologies that have been used in conjunction with microarrays to provide an early glimpse of the transcriptional landscape at the level of individual cell types. The results indicate that much of the transcriptome is compartmentalized. A minor but consistent percentage of transcripts appear to be unique to specific cell types. Functional analyses of cell-specific patterns of gene expression are providing important clues to cell-specific functions. The spatial dissection of the transcriptome has also yielded insights into the localized mediators of hormone inputs and promises to provide detail on cell-specific effects of microRNAs.

Arabidopsis Aux/IAA genes are involved in brassinosteroid-mediated growth responses in a manner dependent on organ type

We examined whether auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) proteins, which are key players in auxin-signal transduction, are involved in brassinosteroid (BR) responses. iaa7/axr2-1 and iaa17/axr3-3 mutants showed aberrant BR sensitivity and aberrant BR-induced gene expression in an organ-dependent manner. Two auxin inhibitors were tested in terms of BR responses. Yokonolide B inhibited BR responses, whereas p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid did not inhibit BR responses. DNA microarray analysis revealed that 108 genes were up-regulated, while only eight genes were down-regulated in iaa7. Among the genes that were up- or down-regulated in axr2, 22% were brassinolide-inducible genes, 20% were auxin-inducible genes, and the majority were sensitive neither to BR nor to auxin. An inhibitor of BR biosynthesis, brassinazole, inhibited auxin induction of the DR5-GUS gene, which consists of a synthetic auxin-response element, a minimum promoter, and a beta-glucuronidase. These results suggest that Aux/IAA proteins function in auxin- and BR-signaling pathways, and that IAA proteins function as the signaling components modulating BR sensitivity in a manner dependent on organ type.

Functional redundancy of PIN proteins is accompanied by auxin-dependent cross-regulation of PIN expression

Plant development displays an exceptional plasticity and adaptability that involves the dynamic, asymmetric distribution of the phytohormone auxin. Polar auxin flow, which requires polarly localized transport facilitators of the PIN family, largely contributes to the establishment and maintenance of the auxin gradients. Functionally overlapping action of PIN proteins mediates multiple developmental processes, including embryo formation, organ development and tropisms. Here we show that PIN proteins exhibit synergistic interactions, which involve cross-regulation of PIN gene expression in pin mutants or plants with inhibited auxin transport. Auxin itself positively feeds back on PIN gene expression in a tissue-specific manner through an AUX/IAA-dependent signalling pathway. This regulatory switch is indicative of a mechanism by which the loss of a specific PIN protein is compensated for by auxin-dependent ectopic expression of its homologues. The compensatory properties of the PIN-dependent transport network might enable the stabilization of auxin gradients and potentially contribute to the robustness of plant adaptive development.

Functional genomic analysis of the AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID gene family members in Arabidopsis thaliana

Auxin regulates various aspects of plant growth and development. The AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID (Aux/IAA) genes encode short-lived transcriptional repressors that are targeted by the TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1/AUXIN RECEPTOR F-BOX proteins. The Aux/IAA proteins regulate auxin-mediated gene expression by interacting with members of the AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR protein family. Aux/IAA function is poorly understood; herein, we report the identification and characterization of insertion mutants in 12 of the 29 Aux/IAA family members. The mutants show no visible developmental defects compared with the wild type. Double or triple mutants of closely related Aux/IAA genes, such as iaa8-1 iaa9-1 or iaa5-1 iaa6-1 iaa19-1, also exhibit wild-type phenotypes. Global gene expression analysis reveals that the molecular phenotypes of auxin-treated and untreated light-grown seedlings are unaffected in the iaa17-6 and iaa5-1 iaa6-1 iaa19-1 mutants. By contrast, similar analysis with the gain-of-function axr3-1/iaa17-1 mutant seedlings reveals dramatic changes in basal and auxin-induced gene expression compared with the wild type. Expression of several type-A ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR genes and a number of genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis and degradation is repressed in axr3-1/iaa17-1. The data suggest extensive functional redundancy among Aux/IAA gene family members and that enhanced stability of the AXR3/IAA17 protein severely alters the molecular phenotype, resulting in developmental defects.

Tissue-specific expression of stabilized SOLITARY-ROOT/IAA14 alters lateral root development in Arabidopsis

Auxin is important for lateral root (LR) initiation and subsequent LR primordium development. However, the roles of tissue-specific auxin signaling in these processes are poorly understood. We analyzed transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the stabilized mutant INDOLE-3 ACETIC ACID 14 (IAA14)/SOLITARY-ROOT (mIAA14) protein as a repressor of the auxin response factors (ARFs), under the control of tissue-specific promoters. We showed that plants expressing the mIAA14-glucocorticoid receptor (GR) fusion protein under the control of the native IAA14 promoter had the solitary-root/iaa14 mutant phenotypes, including the lack of LR formation under dexamethasone (Dex) treatment, indicating that mIAA14-GR is functional in the presence of Dex. We then demonstrated that expression of mIAA14-GR under the control of the stele-specific SHORT-ROOT promoter suppressed LR formation, and showed that mIAA14-GR expression in the protoxylem-adjacent pericycle also blocked LR formation, indicating that the normal auxin response mediated by auxin/indole-3 acetic acid (Aux/IAA) signaling in the protoxylem pericycle is necessary for LR formation. In addition, we demonstrated that expression of mIAA14-GR under either the ARF7 or the ARF19 promoter also suppressed LR formation as in the arf7 arf19 double mutants, and that IAA14 interacted with ARF7 and ARF19 in yeasts. These results strongly suggest that mIAA14-GR directly inactivates ARF7/ARF19 functions, thereby blocking LR formation. Post-embryonic expression of mIAA14-GR under the SCARECROW promoter, which is expressed in the specific cell lineage during LR primordium formation, caused disorganized LR development. This indicates that normal auxin signaling in LR primordia, which involves the unknown ARFs and Aux/IAAs, is necessary for the establishment of LR primordium organization. Thus, our data show that tissue-specific expression of a stabilized Aux/IAA protein allows analysis of tissue-specific auxin responses in LR development by inactivating ARF functions.

Immediate-early and delayed cytokinin response genes of Arabidopsis thaliana identified by genome-wide expression profiling reveal novel cytokinin-sensitive processes and suggest cytokinin action through transcriptional cascades

Cytokinins are hormones that regulate many developmental and physiological processes in plants. Recent work has revealed that the cytokinin signal is transduced by two-component systems to the nucleus where target genes are activated. Most of the rapid transcriptional responses are unknown. We measured immediate-early and delayed cytokinin responses through genome-wide expression profiling with the Affymetrix ATH1 full genome array (Affymetrix Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA). Fifteen minutes after cytokinin treatment of 5-day-old Arabidopsis seedlings, 71 genes were upregulated and 11 genes were downregulated. Immediate-early cytokinin response genes include a high portion of transcriptional regulators, among them six transcription factors that had previously not been linked to cytokinin. Five plastid transcripts were rapidly regulated as well, indicating a rapid transfer of the signal to plastids or direct perception of the cytokinin signal by plastids. After 2 h of cytokinin treatment genes coding for transcriptional regulators, signaling proteins, developmental and hormonal regulators, primary and secondary metabolism, energy generation and stress reactions were over-represented. A significant number of the responding genes are known to regulate light (PHYA, PSK1, CIP8, PAT1, APRR), auxin (Aux/IAA), ethylene (ETR2, EIN3, ERFs/EREBPs), gibberellin (GAI, RGA1, GA20 oxidase), nitrate (NTR2, NIA) and sugar (STP1, SUS1) dependent processes, indicating intense crosstalk with environmental cues, other hormones and metabolites. Analysis of cytokinin-deficient 35S:AtCKX1 transgenic seedlings has revealed additional, long-lasting cytokinin-sensitive changes of transcript abundance. Comparative overlay-analysis with the software tool mapman identified previously unknown cytokinin-sensitive metabolic genes, for example in the metabolism of trehalose-6-phosphate. Taken together, we present a genome-wide view of changes in cytokinin-responsive transcript abundance of genes that might be functionally relevant for the many biological processes that are governed by cytokinins.

Developmental specificity of auxin response by pairs of ARF and Aux/IAA transcriptional regulators

The plant hormone auxin elicits many specific context-dependent developmental responses. Auxin promotes degradation of Aux/IAA proteins that prevent transcription factors of the auxin response factor (ARF) family from regulating auxin-responsive target genes. Aux/IAAs and ARFs are represented by large gene families in Arabidopsis. Here we show that stabilization of BDL/IAA12 or its sister protein IAA13 prevents MP/ARF5-dependent embryonic root formation whereas stabilized SHY2/IAA3 interferes with seedling growth. Although both bdl and shy2-2 proteins inhibited MP/ARF5-dependent reporter gene activation, shy2-2 was much less efficient than bdl to interfere with embryonic root initiation when expressed from the BDL promoter. Similarly, MP was much more efficient than ARF16 in this process. When expressed from the SHY2 promoter, both shy2-2 and bdl inhibited cell elongation and auxin-induced gene expression in the seedling hypocotyl. By contrast, gravitropism and auxin-induced gene expression in the root, which were promoted by functionally redundant NPH4/ARF7 and ARF19 proteins, were inhibited by shy2-2, but not by bdl protein. Our results suggest that auxin signals are converted into specific responses by matching pairs of coexpressed ARF and Aux/IAA proteins.

Network building: transcriptional circuits in the root

Genes that control cell fate in all major root tissues have been described in Arabidopsis and new candidates that pattern the root apical meristem have been identified. Several phytohormones have long been known to affect root growth; it now appears that they have at least one common entry point into the transcriptional networks that regulate root growth. A map of gene expression in the Arabidopsis root has identified many new candidate genes that feed into and out of these transcriptional controls.

Contrasting modes of diversification in the Aux/IAA and ARF gene families

The complete genomic sequence for Arabidopsis provides the opportunity to combine phylogenetic and genomic approaches to study the evolution of gene families in plants. The Aux/IAA and ARF gene families, consisting of 29 and 23 loci in Arabidopsis, respectively, encode proteins that interact to mediate auxin responses and regulate various aspects of plant morphological development. We developed scenarios for the genomic proliferation of the Aux/IAA and ARF families by combining phylogenetic analysis with information on the relationship between each locus and the previously identified duplicated genomic segments in Arabidopsis. This analysis shows that both gene families date back at least to the origin of land plants and that the major Aux/IAA and ARF lineages originated before the monocot-eudicot divergence. We found that the extant Aux/IAA loci arose primarily through segmental duplication events, in sharp contrast to the ARF family and to the general pattern of gene family proliferation in Arabidopsis. Possible explanations for the unusual mode of Aux/IAA duplication include evolutionary constraints imposed by complex interactions among proteins and pathways, or the presence of long-distance cis-regulatory sequences. The antiquity of the two gene families and the unusual mode of Aux/IAA diversification have a number of potential implications for understanding both the functional and evolutionary roles of these genes.